Congressman Larson’s recent newsletter article below is chock full of the Congressman’s actions below to help Connecticut’s First District residents. Click on the underlined links for even more details!
Serving You
My team has worked to assist constituents with federal agency issues, opening 1,361 cases and sending out 42,590 responses to constituents. Wehosted 39 community events, and 15 virtual events to keep communities updated and informed during uncertain times like the government shutdown. I introduced nine pieces of legislation and cosponsored 231 bills in Congress, including: The American Affordability Act to lower health care, housing, energy, and education costs and cut taxes for families and workers, not the wealthy. The Workforce of the Future Act to ensure workers and students are given the skills they need to compete in the AI workforce. The Women’s Health Protection Act to protect access to abortion nationwide and the Reproductive Freedom for Veterans Act to end President Trump’s near-total VA abortion ban. The Assault Weapons Ban, as well as universal background checks, and Ethan’s Law, to ensure safe storage of firearms and take action to address the scourge of gun violence in our communities.
Standing with Workers
I joined striking machinists atPratt & Whitney, UAW workers at Cummins-Jacobs Vehicle Systems in Bloomfield, and Starbucks baristas in West Hartford on the picket line to fight for better pay and benefits. In Congress, I’m working to pass the PRO Act to strengthen collective bargaining rights for workers, hold employers accountable for labor violations, and ensure every workplace has the right to free and fair union elections. I secured funding to shore up the Sheet Metal Workers Local No. 40 Pension Fund of nearly 1,000 Connecticut-based construction workers. When we passed the Butch Lewis Act in Congress, I was proud to protect at-risk pension plans for 1.5 million Americans, and it is still bolstering retirement security for workers today. When President Trump issued an executive order illegal stripping federal workers of their right to collective bargain, he earned the title of ‘Union-Buster in Chief.’ He even tried to revoke approved maternity leave for workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs! I stood with veterans and workersat the Newington VA to demand action, and just this month, the House passed our bill to restore their union rights. When the President tried to impose an anti-worker Project 2025 as Commissioner of Labor Statistics, I spoke out, and we helped defeat his nomination. His administration also tried to furlough workers at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, risking a delay to the annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustment. After we called out this meddling, they returned to work. During the government shutdown, when our civil servants missed out on their salaries, I deferred my own paycheck. It is plain wrong for our dedicated civil servants like Capitol Police, air traffic controllers, educators and others to be forced to work without pay while politicians keep getting paid.I also introduced the Make America Govern Again Actto keep federal workers and troops paid during any future shutdown.
Delivering Federal Funding
Working together with our entire delegation, we brought home more than$101 million in federal funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure clean drinking water for Connecticut residents, remove lead pipes, and restore the Long Island Sound. This year, hypoxia levels in Long Island Soundreached their lowest point in the last three decades. I secured $750,000 for renovations to the Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor, as they work to expand operations and make the museum a living history destination for residents across New England. As a Co-Chair of the Joint Strike Fighter Caucus, I have advocated for F135 modernization throughout my career, securing Pratt and Whitney as the sole supplier of F135 engines. This year, I led more than 120 of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support F135 engine modernization and F-35 jet procurement. I also announced a $1.6 billion contract for F135 sustainment workright here in East Hartford and Middletown, as well as a modification that brought that contract’s total value to $4.6 billion. The F135 engine alone supports more than 15,000 jobs and more than $600 million in economic activity across the First District. The Connecticut Congressional delegation delivered over $7 million in funding for Connecticut airports, including more than $3.9 million for Bradley Airport to improve the runway, passenger terminal, and safety at Bradley International Airport.
Standing up to the Trump Administration
After the Trump Administration froze funding for after school programs across the country this summer,I worked to release $10.8 millionin funding they blocked for Connecticut students, including activities at Boys & Girls Clubs in Hartford. Shortly after President Trump took office, Elon Musk’s ‘DOGE’ cut the entire staff of the World Trade Center Health Program, jeopardizing healthcare services for 9/11 first responders and survivors. We forged a bipartisan coalition with Members of Congress from across the Northeast, reversing their cuts and restoring staff and services. In Newington, Southington, and Hamden, Connecticut, we have seen the impact of Trump’s lawless immigration raids up close and personal in our communities. I’m proud to stand with immigrant families against these abuses of power, even when the Department of Homeland Security puts me on a ‘watch list’with leaders like Hakeem Jeffries and Jasmine Crockettfor speaking out forcefully against this president’s policies. In Congress, I’m championing the No Secret Police Act to require law enforcement agents to identify themselves and the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act to prevent immigration raids at schools, houses of worship, courthouses, and hospitals. President Trump’s cost-raising tariffs are raising prices at the grocery store, pharmacy, and everywhere you shop. The average household is paying $1,700 more per year, and this holiday season, gift prices are even up 26%! I introduced the Prevent Tariff Abuse Act and the Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act with my fellow Democrats to end his tariff regime and require Congress to vote before any new tariffs can go into effect.
Protecting Social Security
Rep. Larson speaks out against the Trump Administration’s cuts to Social Security and the nomination of Frank Bisignano as Social Security Commissioner. When the President took office, he charged Elon Musk and his ‘DOGE’ with finding $2 trillion in cuts. Musk soon admitted that Social Security was a ‘key target.’ ‘DOGE’ then got their hands on the private and confidential Social Security data of 300 million Americans, as they scheme to dismantle and privatize the system. Trump’s own Treasury Secretary even admitted they had a “back door” to privatization! I have called for accountability, hearings, and votes on my Protecting Americans’ Social Security Data Act that would block special government employees and political appointees like ‘DOGE’ from accessing your data. Even after a whistleblower report confirmed this private data had been copied to a vulnerable cloud, Republicans have refused to act. I’ll continue to fight for answers from ‘DOGE’ and deliver the transparency you deserve. All year, the Trump Administration has been going after Social Security – trying to cut benefits, slash staff, and roll back phone services for elderly and disabled Americans. As the top Democrat on the Social Security Subcommittee, I’ve been fighting back to block their cuts: I joined with groups like the AARP to defeat the administration’s two plans to slash phone service for elderly and disabled Americans, which would have forced Social Security recipients to travel an average of 45 miles to their nearest field office. I worked to prevent the closure of the Torrington Social Security field office that serves Northwest Connecticut, standing with over 1,000 residents in the rain in April to speak out, and introduced the Keeping our Field Offices Open Act to protect these offices nationwide. ‘DOGE’ removed their target list of offices to close from the internet, and today, the Social Security Administration won’t even acknowledge that this plan existed! When the Trump Administration announced a new rule to deny monthly checks from beneficiaries who accidentally received overpayments, we led a coalition to speak out – and they pared it back. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and I introduced the Claws Off Social Security Act to further protect beneficiaries. In October, the Trump Administration proposed the largest-ever cut to disability benefits in history, that could have denied up to 750,000 disabled workers the benefits they earned after a lifetime of work. I led 165 of my colleagues with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz to oppose this plan and forced them to back down. I introduced the Social Security Emergency Inflation Relief Act with Rep. Steven Horsford and Senator Elizabeth Warren to temporarily increase monthly benefits for seniors and veterans to offset the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.I continue to work with my Democratic colleagues to not only protect Social Security but expand benefits to keep pace with rising costs and ensure no senior can retire into poverty after a lifetime of work.
Lowering Health Care and Prescription Drug Costs
Starting this year, no seniors will have to pay more than $2,000 in annual out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. We fought hard to include these cost-savings in the Inflation Reduction Act, including a provision I have long championed to finally allow Medicare to directly negotiate drug costs. To build on the successes of the Inflation Reduction Act, I introduced the Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act with a group of my colleagues to expand the number of prescription drug prices negotiated each year while extending the cost savings for seniors on Medicare, like the annual out-of-pocket cap, to all health insurance plans. Republicans have refused to take action to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits 112,000 Connecticut residents rely on. I won’t give up the fight. I signed on to discharge petition to force a House vote on extending these credits to protect families from skyrocketing premiums. Before we left Washington for the holidays, four Republicans joined us. Speaker Johnson refused to act, postponing a vote until January. In the new year, we will continue the fight for lower health care costs. Best wishes to you and your family for a happy holiday season and New Year. To follow what I’m working on both in Washington and in Connecticut, visit my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or follow me on Instagram.
As always, if you have an issue with a federal agency, including passport applications, tax returns, or Social Security benefits, please reach out to my East Hartford office for assistance at 860-278-8888.
Regards,
John B. Larson
Member of Congress